View source for Juli Furtado

{{short description|American cyclist}}
{{use mdy|date=August 2024}}
{{Infobox cyclist
| name           = Juli Furtado
| image          =
| caption        =
| birth_date     = {{birth date and age|1967|04|04}}
| birth_place    = [[New York City]], New York, U.S.
| death_date     = 
| death_place    = 
| height         =
| weight         =
| currentteam    = Retired
| discipline     = [[Mountain biking]]
| role           = Rider
| ridertype      =
| amateuryears1  =
| amateurteam1   =
| amateuryears2  =
| amateurteam2   =
| proyears1      = [[Cycling at the 1996 Summer Olympics|USA Olympic Cycling Team]]
| proteam1       = 1996
| proyears2      =
| proteam2       =
| majorwins      = 
* [[United States National Road Race Championships#Women|US National Road Championship]] (1989)
| medaltemplates =
{{MedalCountry|{{flagu|United States}}}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[UCI Mountain Bike & Trials World Championships|World Mountain Bike Championships]]}}
{{MedalGold|[[1990 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships|1990 Durango]]|Cross-country}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Pan American Games]]}}
{{MedalSilver|[[1995 Pan American Games|1995 Mar del Plata]]|[[Cycling at the 1995 Pan American Games|Mountain bike]]}}
}}
'''Juliana "Juli" Furtado''' (born April 4, 1967, in [[New York City]]) is a retired American professional [[mountain biking|mountain biker]], who began her sports career in [[skiing]].

After knee injuries dashed her hopes of ski success, she took up cycling and won the US National Road Championship, and then went on to be very successful at mountain bike events - during her short 6-year career in MTB Furtado won five national titles and represented her country at the Olympics.<ref name=queen />

==Early life==
Born on April 4, 1967, her father's parents were [[Portuguese people|Portuguese]] from [[São Miguel Island]]. She started skiing at age two, and racing at age 9 after her family moved to [[Vermont]], where Furtado attended the [[Stratton Mountain School]].

At age 15 she became the youngest member of the U.S. [[National sport|National]] ski team, for which she competed from 1982 to 1987.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.julianabicycles.com/en/us/juli-furtados-story |title="Juli Furtado's Story" |access-date=July 15, 2024 |archive-date=March 28, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170328023609/https://www.julianabicycles.com/en/us/juli-furtados-story |url-status=bot: unknown }}</ref> After undergoing several knee operations, Furtado's hopes of competing in the Olympics were forced to an end, and she attended [[University of Colorado Boulder]] on a skiing scholarship, where she received her BA in marketing. While racing for CU her knee injuries forced her to retire from competitive skiing, and Juliana switched to cycling.<ref name=bikeradar>{{cite web|last=Boulanger|first=Gary|title=Interview: Juliana Furtado, queen of the dirt|url=http://www.bikeradar.com/fitness/article/interview-juliana-furtado-queen-of-the-dirt-21775/|work=BikeRadar.com|date=6 June 2009 |publisher=Future Publishing Ltd, Bath, UK|accessdate=3 May 2012}}</ref>

==Cycling==
In 1989, her first year competing, Furtado won the [[United States National Road Race Championships#Women|US National Road Championship]]. She was then introduced to mountain biking, and in 1990, again her first year competing, she won the [[cross-country cycling|cross-country]] event (along with [[Ned Overend]]) in the first official [[UCI Mountain Bike & Trials World Championships|Mountain Bike World Championship]], held in [[Durango, Colorado]]. In 1992, she won the [[downhill cycling|downhill]] world championship. In 1996, Furtado won both the World Cup (her 3rd WC championship) and the [[NORBA]] (U.S. National race authority) cross-country championships. She also participated in the [[1996 Summer Olympics|Atlanta Olympics]]. Unfortunately, though she was the overwhelming favorite to win, she suffered in the severe Atlanta sun and heat due to the as yet undetected [[Systemic lupus erythematosus|Lupus]] in her system and finished with an uncharacteristically slow 7th place. Soon after her Lupus was diagnosed,<ref name=queen>[https://totalwomenscycling.com/lifestyle/interviews/interview-juli-furtado-mountain-biker-aka-the-queen-8765/ "Interview: Juli Furtado mountain biker, aka 'The Queen'"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160807141501/https://totalwomenscycling.com/lifestyle/interviews/interview-juli-furtado-mountain-biker-aka-the-queen-8765/ |date=2016-08-07 }}, 20th June 2013, Aoife Glass, totalwomenscycling.com</ref> and again Furtado was forced into early retirement from her sport due to physical conditions. Her disease is currently under control, and she still rides.

==Women's bikes==
After retiring, Furtado started a company to design and produce female specific MTB components, such as smaller diameter handlebars and grips, stems, and seats.

Her designs were eventually picked up by [[Santa Cruz Bicycles|Santa Cruz Bikes]]. At the same time, Santa Cruz developed the first female-specific [[Mountain bike#Designs|cross-country]] [[Bicycle frame#Aluminum alloys|aluminum]] MTB called the "Juliana".<ref>{{cite web|title=Juliana|url=http://www.santacruzmtb.com/juliana/}}</ref> Furtado became the director of grass-roots sponsorship and marketing for Santa Cruz Bicycles, in [[Santa Cruz, California|Santa Cruz]], [[California]].<ref name="bikeradar"/> In 2013, Furtado developed the concept for turning the single Juliana frame and associated components into a complete line of fully outfitted women's mountain bikes, which would be a first for Santa Cruz, primarily a frame producer. The Juliana line has 5 models comprising one of the world's largest women's MTB ranges in the industry.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.santacruzbicycles.com/en/es/news/411|title=Santa Cruz Bicycles &#124; Stories - Introducing Juliana Bicycles }}</ref>

==Legacy==
In 1998, the book ''Rugged Racer'' was written about Juliana's struggles and successes, overcoming injuries in pursuit of her dream to compete in the Olympics.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/book/juli-furtado#cart/cleanup |title=Scholastic Teaching Tools &#124; Resources for Teachers }}</ref> Despite a short MTB career of 6 years, Juliana held a Guinness World Record for most career 1st-place finishes in MTB (male or female) and, at that time, her career total wins exceeded the combined total wins of the most successful man ([[Ned Overend]]) and next most successful woman.

She became the mother of a son in 2008 and is currently working again with the U.S. [[National sport|National]] ski team, as an advocate for retiring athletes.

Furtado was inducted into the [[Mountain Bike Hall of Fame]] in 1993 and the [[United States Bicycling Hall of Fame]] in 2005.

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{sports links}}

{{UCI Mountain Bike World Champions – Women's cross-country}}
{{UCI Mountain Bike World Champions – Women's downhill}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Furtado, Juliana}}
[[Category:1967 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American female cyclists]]
[[Category:Cross-country mountain bikers]]
[[Category:Downhill mountain bikers]]
[[Category:American people of Portuguese descent]]
[[Category:Sportspeople of Portuguese descent]]
[[Category:Cyclists at the 1996 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Olympic cyclists for the United States]]
[[Category:Cyclists from New York City]]
[[Category:Cyclists from Vermont]]
[[Category:UCI Mountain Bike World Champions (women)]]
[[Category:Cyclists at the 1995 Pan American Games]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1995 Pan American Games]]
[[Category:Pan American Games silver medalists for the United States in cycling]]
[[Category:American mountain bikers]]
[[Category:People with lupus]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportswomen]]